Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Thursday 21 January 2016

"Mein Hut, Der Hat Drei Ecken". ("My Hat, It Has Three Corners").



"Mein Hut, der hat drei Ecken".
(My Hat, it has three Corners).
Available on YouTube at



A Beer Stein from a Gift Shop in Meersburg, Germany.
Photo: June 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Ich.
(Wikimedia Commons)


GET READY FOR YOUR NEXT
BEER DRINKING CONTEST.
LEARN ALL THE WORDS OF THIS GERMAN BEER DRINKING SONG AND WIN FIRST PRIZE
FOR "SOCIAL SHARING", "INTERACTION BONHOMIE", AND "FRIENDLY GATHERING".



"Mein Hut, der hat drei Ecken,
drei Ecken hat mein Hut.
Und hätt er nicht drei Ecken,
so wär's auch nicht mein Hut."


"My Hat, it has three Corners,
three Corners has my Hat,
And had it not three Corners,
It would not be my Hat."


The Seventeenth Century.



The 17th-Century.



English: Pope Paul V.
Pope Paul V extended to The Universal Church
The Feast of The Holy Angels in 1608 (Feast Day 2 October).
Latin: Papa Paulus V.
Artist: Caravaggio (1571–1610).
Date: 1606.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

In 1608, His Holiness, Pope Paul V extended to The Universal Church The Feast of The Holy Angels (Feast Day 2 October).

Pope Gregory XV, in 1621, extended to The Universal Church The Feast of Saint Joseph, whose Feast Day (19 March) had been assigned at the end of the 15th-Century.

The Feast of The Most Holy Name of Mary (12 September), which had been approved by Rome in 1513, was extended to The Whole Church in 1683, by Pope Innocent XI, as an Act of Thanksgiving to Our Lady for the victory of King John Sobieski over The Turks, who had besieged Vienna.



English: Monument to Pope Innocent XI, Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.
This Pope sanctioned The Feast of The Seven Sorrows of The Blessed Virgin Mary, in 1688.
Português: Monumento a Inocêncioa XI, Basílica de São Pedro, Vaticano.
Source: Own work.
Author: Ricardo André Frantz.
(Wikimedia Commons)


It was also Pope Innocent XI, who, in 1688, sanctioned The Feast of The Seven Sorrows of The Blessed Virgin Mary, which was extended to The Universal Church by Pope Benedict XIII in 1727 and assigned by Pope Pius IX to 15 September, The Octave Day of Our Lady's Nativity. [Editor: Please Note. There is another Feast of The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, which is Celebrated on The Friday in Passion Week.]

In the 17th-Century, new Orders arose which gave themselves in a wonderful way to Preaching, Instruction, and Works of Charity. These included:

Saint Francis de Sales (†1622. Feast Day 29 January) Founded, together with Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (†1641. Feast Day 21 August), The Order of The Visitation;



The 17th-Century.


Saint Vincent de Paul (†1660. Feast Day 19 July) Founded The Congregation of Priests of The Mission, and, with the help of Saint Louise de Marillac (†1660. Feast Day 15 March), The Order of The Daughters of Charity;

Saint Camillus de Lellis (†1614. Feast Day 18 July) Founded a Congregation of Clerks Regular, to tend the sick;

Saint Francis Caracciolo (†1608. Feast Day 4 June) Founded The Order of Clerks Minor Regular;

Saint Joseph Calasanctius (†1648. Feast Day 27 August) Founded The Order of The Clerks Regular of The Pious Schools;



Saint Robert Francis Romulus Bellarmine (†1621. Feast Day 13 May)
was a Bishop and Doctor of The Church.


Saint John Eudes (†1680. Feast Day 19 August) Founded The Eudist Fathers, the propagators of The Liturgical Worship of The Sacred Heart, while, in addition, Our Lord manifested His Sacred Heart to Saint Margaret-Mary Alacoque, of The Order of The Visitation of Holy Mary (V.H.M) (†1690. Feast Day 17 October);

Saint Robert Bellarmine (†1621. Feast Day 13 May), of The Society of Jesus, was a Bishop and Doctor and of The Church;



Saint Rose of Lima. (†1617. Feast Day 30 August).
The First Flower of Sanctity to spring up in The New World.
Illustration: LIVES OF THE SAINTS


Saint Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi (†1607. Feast Day 29 May) is one of the glories of The Carmelite Order at this time, in the same way that Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen (†1627. Feast Day 24 April) and Saint Joseph of Cupertino (†1663. Feast Day 18 September) were for The Franciscan Order, and Saint Andrew Avellino (†1608. Feast Day 10 November) were for The Order of Theatines;

Saint Rose of Lima (†1617. Feast Day 30 August) is The First Flower of Sanctity to spring up in The New World;

In 1623, was put to death Saint Josaphat, Ruthenian Archbishop of Polotsk (now in Belarus) (Feast Day 14 November), who sought to gather heretics and schismatics into union with Rome.



The 17th-Century.

Wednesday 20 January 2016

How To Make Abortion Totally Unthinkable.


This Article can be read in full at TFP STUDENT ACTION
where you can also get your FREE Copy of "RETURN TO ORDER"







Illustration: GOOGLE IMAGES


This week is the 43rd anniversary of Roe v Wade . . . that's forty-three years of legalised Abortion in America !

Which got me thinking.

How do we fight back with the big picture in mind ? How do we cut the deep roots of the culture of death once and for all? And make Abortion totally unthinkable ?




Well, Abortion is unthinkable only within the context of a truly Christian family, when parents practice a lifetime of sacrifice, fidelity and love.

The unborn child is only secure in the sacred bond of an indissoluble marriage. And society helps by providing a protective framework for family, community and faith.

As individuals and as a nation, we must return to our Christian roots and morals, for only a complete spiritual regeneration and transformation will suffice to really make Abortion unthinkable.

Famous author and TFP vice-president John Horvat II shows the way in his book, Return to Order.




With over 75,000 copies in circulation, Return to Order explains the root cause and solution to America’s moral crisis and The Sexual Revolution.

Get your free copy today.

Ebook – Free Download

Don’t own a Kindle? No problem.

Just use the free download app on the right side of the Amazon page to get a free copy of Return to Order.

It’s easy to do.

The TFP STUDENT ACTION Web-Site is at TFP STUDENT ACTION



"I Got Life".
Nina Simone.
Available on YouTube at

The Chrysler Building. New York.




The Chrysler Building
Digital depiction of The Chrysler Building.
Illustration: PINTEREST



The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco Skyscraper, located on The East Side of Midtown Manhattan, in New York City, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, in the Turtle Bay neighborhood.

At 1,046 feet (319 m), the structure was the World's tallest building for eleven months, before it was surpassed by The Empire State Building in 1931. It is still the tallest brick building in the World, albeit with an internal steel skeleton. After the destruction of The World Trade Center, it was again the second-tallest building in New York City, until December 2007, when the Spire was raised on the 1,200-foot (365.8 m) Bank of America Tower, pushing The Chrysler Building into third position. In addition, The New York Times Building, which opened in 2007, is exactly level with The Chrysler Building in height. Both buildings were pushed into fourth position, when the under-construction One World Trade Center surpassed their height.




The Chrysler Building.
Photo: 19 January 1932.
Source: Gottscho-Schleisner Collection,
Library of Congress, Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-05841
This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's
Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.05841
Author: Samuel Gottscho (1875–1971).
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City. In 2007, it was ranked ninth on The List of America's Favorite Architecture by The American Institute of Architects. It was the headquarters of The Chrysler Corporation from 1930 until the Mid-1950s.

Although the building was built and designed specifically for The Car Manufacturer, the Corporation did not pay for the construction of it and never owned it, as Walter P. Chrysler decided to pay for it himself, so that his children could inherit it.




English: The top floors of The Chrysler Building,
New York.
Deutsch: New Yorker Chrysler Building, oberer
Gebäudeteil, vom östlichen Teil der 42. Straße aus gesehen.
Photo: March 2005.
Source: Photograph by User:Leena Hietanen (In real life: fi:Leena Hietanen)
(Uploaded with permission.)
Author: The original Uploader was Petri Krohn at English Wikipedia.
Later versions were Uploaded by Cacophony at en.wikipedia
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Chrysler Building was designed by architect William Van Alen for a project of Walter P. Chrysler. When the ground-breaking occurred on 19 September 1928, there was an intense competition in New York City to build the World's tallest Skyscraper. Despite a frantic pace (the building was built at an average rate of four floors per week), no workers died during the construction of this Skyscraper.




The Chrysler Building,
New York.
Photo: 18 August 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jonathan71.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Van Alen's original design for the Skyscraper called for a decorative jewel-like Glass Crown. It also featured a base, in which the showroom windows were tripled in height and topped by twelve Stories with Glass-Wrapped corners, creating an impression that the Tower appeared physically and visually light, as if floating in mid-air.

The height of the Skyscraper was also originally designed to be 246 meters (807 ft). However, the design proved to be too advanced and costly for building contractor William H. Reynolds, who disapproved of Van Alen's original plan.

The design and lease were sold to Walter P. Chrysler, who worked with Van Alen and re-designed the Skyscraper for additional Stories; it was eventually revised to 282 m (925 ft) tall. As Walter Chrysler was the Chairman of The Chrysler Corporation and intended to make the building into Chrysler's headquarters, various architectural details, and especially the building's Gargoyles, were modelled after Chrysler automobile products, like the Hood Ornaments of the Plymouth; they exemplify the machine age in the 1920s.




The Chrysler Building,
New York.
(Image touched up by w:User:Overand)
Date: 27 May 2009.
Author: 
Derivative work: Overand.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The New York Central Railroad. Part Six.



NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining
designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul
The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.
Photo courtesy SMU.
Date: 1938.
Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from FlickrHudson Locomotive for The New York Central.
Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).
(Wikimedia Commons)



English: Grand Central Station Terminal,
42nd Street, New York,
United States of America.
Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare
Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).
Date: 1/08.
Source: Own work.
Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).
(Wikimedia Commons)


On 1 February 1968, The New York Central was absorbed by The Pennsylvania Railroad, forming the new Pennsylvania New York Central Transportation Company, that was eventually re-named The Penn Central Transportation Company, with The NYC's Alfred Perlman as President. Penn Central was quickly saddled with debt, when The ICC forced the money-losing New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad into the new Railroad in 1969. In addition, the merger was handled in a haphazard manner, with no formal merger plan implemented. The two Companies' competing Corporate Cultures, Union Interest, and incompatible Operating and Computer Systems sabotaged any hope for a success.

Additionally, in an effort to look profitable, The Board of Directors authorized the use of the Railroad's Reserve Cash to pay Dividends to Company Stockholders. Nevertheless, on 21 June 1970, Penn Central declared Bankruptcy, the largest Private Bankruptcy in The United States to that time. Under Bankruptcy protection, many of Penn Central's outstanding debts, owed to other Railroads, were frozen, while debts owed to Penn Central, by the other Railroads were not. This sent a trickle effect throughout the already fragile Railroad Industry, forcing many of the other North-Eastern Railroads into Insolvency, among them The Erie Lackawanna, Boston and Maine, The Central Railroad of New Jersey, The Reading Company, and The Lehigh Valley.



Coach 'Tonawanda Valley', part of "The 20th Century Limited" Train,
parked at a platform in Grand Central Terminal, New York.
Photo: 12 May 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jim.henderson.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Penn Central marked the last hope of privately-funded Passenger Rail Service in The United States. In response to the Bankruptcy President Richard Nixon signed into Law, The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, which formed The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, better known as Amtrak, a Nationalised, Government-owned and subsidised Railroad. On 1 May 1971, Amtrak assumed the responsibility of most Regional and Long-Distance Inter-City Passenger Trains in The United States. Amtrak would eventually assume ownership of The Northeast Corridor, a mostly-electrified route between Boston and Washington, D.C., inherited primarily from The PRR and New Haven Systems. Penn Central and the other Railroads were still obligated to operate their Commuter Services for the next five years while in Bankruptcy, eventually turning them over to the newly-formed Conrail in 1976. There was some hope that Penn Central, and the other North-Eastern Railroads, could be restructured towards profitability, once their burdensome Passenger deficits were unloaded. However, this was not to be and the Railroads never recovered from their respective Bankruptcies.



Advertisement for Budd Manufacturing, who produced many of the Rail Cars for the
Streamlined Trains, beginning in the 1930s. The advert depicts "The Empire State Express",
a Streamlined Train of The New York Central Railroad. The advert appeared in
the 14 December 1944 edition of The Saturday Evening Post.
Source: eBay
Author: Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Conrail, officially The Consolidated Rail Corporation, was created by The U.S. Government to salvage Penn Central, and the other Bankrupt Railroads' Freight business, beginning its operations on 1 April 1976. As mentioned, Conrail assumed control of Penn Central's Commuter Lines throughout the Lower Hudson Valley of New York, Connecticut, and in and around Boston. In 1983, these Commuter Services would be turned over to the State-Funded Metro North Railroad in New York and Connecticut, and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in Massachusetts. Conrail would go on to achieve profitability by the 1990s, and was sought by several other large Railroads in a continuing trend of mergers, eventually having its assets absorbed by CSX and Norfolk Southern.



"The Freight Yard".
The New York Central RailRoad.
1950s' Trains In America.
WDTVLIVE42.
Available on YouTube at


Conrail, in an effort to streamline its operations, was forced to abandon miles of both NYC and PRR Trackage. Nevertheless, the majority of The NYC System is still intact and used by both CSX and Amtrak. Among the Lines still used, are the famed Water Level Route, between New York and Chicago, as well as its former Boston and Albany Line between these points, The Kankakee Belt Route, through Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, and The West Shore Line, between Jersey City and the Albany suburb of Selkirk, where the old NYC – now CSX – Selkirk Yard is among the busiest Freight Yards in the Country.

On 6 June 1998, most of Conrail was split between Norfolk Southern and CSXNew York Central Lines LLC was formed as a Subsidiary of Conrail, containing the Lines to be operated by CSX; this included the old Water Level Route and many other Lines of The New York Central, as well as various Lines from other Companies. It also assumed The NYC Reporting Mark. CSX eventually fully absorbed it, as part of a streamlining of Conrail operations.

THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON THE NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD

Tuesday 19 January 2016

Solemn High Mass. Friday, 29 January 2016. 1930 hrs. Saint Mary Moorfields, Moorgate, London.



Illustration: LMS CHAIRMAN


Juventutem London

Solemn High Mass
for Marriage and Sanctity
of Human Life from
Conception to Natural Death.

Friday, 29 January 2016.
1930 hrs.
Saint Mary Moorfields,
Moorgate, London EC2M 7LS.

Tomas Luis de Victoria
Missa O Quam Gloriosum

Claudin de Sermisy
Benedic Anima Mea

Mathieu Gascongni
Caro Mea


All are welcome to attend this Mass.
Followed by a Social for Young People
aged 18-33.

The Web-Site for Juventutem London is

Saint Canute IV. King And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 19 January.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Canute IV.
King and Martyr.

Simple.

Red Vestments.



The death of Saint Canute IV of Denmark,

in the Church of Saint Albanus (1086).

Author: Christian Albrecht von Benzon (1816 - 1849).
Date: 1843.
This File: 21 February 2006.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Canute, having ascended the Throne of Denmark (1080-1086), ardently endeavoured to spread The Faith in his Kingdom. His Charity, and his zeal for Religion, soon made him enemies, who put him to death while he was Praying at the foot of the Altar in the Church of Saint Alban.

God made manifest the Holiness of His servant by numerous Miracles wrought at his tomb.

Mass: In virtúte tua.


The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Canute IV (Circa 1042 – 10 July 1086), later known as Canute The Holy (Danish: Knud IV den Hellige) or Saint Canute (Sankt Knud), was King of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. Canute was an ambitious King who sought to strengthen The Danish Monarchy, devotedly supported The Roman Catholic Church, and had designs on The English Throne.

Slain by rebels in 1086, he was the first Danish King to be Canonised. He was recognised by The Roman Catholic Church as Patron Saint of Denmark in 1101.


THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL



THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

Available (in U.K.) from

Available (in U.S.A.) from

How To Make Abortion Totally Unthinkable.


This Article can be read in full at TFP STUDENT ACTION
where you can also get your FREE Copy of "RETURN TO ORDER"







Illustration: GOOGLE IMAGES


This week is the 43rd anniversary of Roe v Wade . . . that's forty-three years of legalised Abortion in America !

Which got me thinking.

How do we fight back with the big picture in mind ? How do we cut the deep roots of the culture of death once and for all? And make Abortion totally unthinkable ?




Well, Abortion is unthinkable only within the context of a truly Christian family, when parents practice a lifetime of sacrifice, fidelity and love.

The unborn child is only secure in the sacred bond of an indissoluble marriage. And society helps by providing a protective framework for family, community and faith.

As individuals and as a nation, we must return to our Christian roots and morals, for only a complete spiritual regeneration and transformation will suffice to really make Abortion unthinkable.

Famous author and TFP vice-president John Horvat II shows the way in his book, Return to Order.




With over 75,000 copies in circulation, Return to Order explains the root cause and solution to America’s moral crisis and The Sexual Revolution.

Get your free copy today.

Ebook – Free Download

Don’t own a Kindle? No problem.

Just use the free download app on the right side of the Amazon page to get a free copy of Return to Order.

It’s easy to do.

The TFP STUDENT ACTION Web-Site is at TFP STUDENT ACTION



"I Got Life".
Nina Simone.
Available on YouTube at

Saints Marius, Martha, Audifax, Abachum. Martyrs. Feast Day 19 January.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saints Marius, Martha, Audifax, Abachum.
Martyrs.
Feast Day 19 January.

Simple.

Red Vestments.


The Martyrdom of Saints Marius, Martha, Audifax, Abachum.
Even though these Holy Saints lived, and suffered Martyrdom, nearly 2,000 Years ago, we
would do well by recalling their Holiness each year on their Feast Day of 19 January.
It is a modern error to regard only the most recent Saints, or most recent events,
as applicable to us. We can learn from the lives of all of the Saints from all times.
Illustration: A CATHOLIC LIFE


Marius and Martha, his wife, were Persian nobles, who, with their two sons, Audifax and Abachum, came to Rome to Worship God in the Reign of Emperor Claudius II. There they visited Christians cast into prison for their Faith: "You had compassion on prisoners," says the Epistle.

They devoted themselves in many ways to the service of Religion; but, soon, they had, themselves, to suffer for The Faith: For "they were tortured and put to death" (Gospel).

"Without fearing the persecutors" (Communion), they underwent all these torments with Prayers of Thanksgiving on their lips, for, in them, they saw like "the sparrow liberated from the bird-catcher's net and who escapes towards Heaven" (Offertory), the means of going to enjoy God for evermore (Introit).

They were Martyred in 270 A.D.

Let us ask Jesus Christ "Who showed Himself so admirably in these Martyrs" (Alleluia) also to make manifest  in our Souls the effects of His Divine Power, so that "enjoying Peace in this life, we may in the other receive the eternal reward" (Collect).

Mass: Justi epuléntur.
Commemoration: Of Saint Canute.
Epistle: Rememorámini.
Gospel: Sedénte Jesu.


THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL



THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

Available (in U.K.) from

Available (in U.S.A.) from

The New York Central Railroad. Part Five.



NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining
designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul
The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.
Photo courtesy SMU.
Date: 1938.
Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from FlickrHudson Locomotive for The New York Central.
Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).
(Wikimedia Commons)



English: Grand Central Station Terminal,
42nd Street, New York,
United States of America.
Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare
Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).
Date: 1/08.
Source: Own work.
Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).
(Wikimedia Commons)


Perlman's cuts resulted in the curtailing of many of the Railroad's Services; Commuter Lines around New York were particularly affected. In 1958-1959, Service was suspended on The NYC's Putnam Division in Westchester and Putnam Counties, and The NYC abandoned its Ferry Service, across The Hudson, to Weehawken Terminal. This negatively impacted the Railroad's West Shore Line, which ran along The West Bank of The Hudson River from Jersey City to Albany, which saw Long-Distance Services to Albany discontinued in 1958 and Commuter Service between Jersey City and West Haverstraw, New York, terminated in 1959. Ridding itself of most of its Commuter Services proved impossible, due to the heavy use of these Lines around Metro New York, which Government mandated the Railroad still operate.



The New York Central Railroad's Streamlined Steam Locomotive, "Commodore Vanderbilt",
as it left Chicago's LaSalle Street Station pulling "The 20th Century Limited" Train.
Photo: 22 February 1935.
Source: eBay
Author: International News Photos.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Many Long-Distance and Regional-Haul Passenger Trains were either discontinued or downgraded in Service, with Coaches replacing Pullman, Parlour, and Sleeping Cars on routes in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The Empire Corridor, between Albany and Buffalo, saw Service greatly reduced, with Service beyond Buffalo to Niagara Falls discontinued in 1961. On 3 December 1967, most of the great Long-Distance Trains ended, including the famed "Twentieth Century Limited". The Railroad's Branch Line Service, off The Empire Corridor in Upstate New York, was also gradually discontinued, the last being its Utica Branch between Utica and Lake Placid, in 1965. Many of the Railroad's great Train Stations, in Rochester, Schenectady, and Albany, were demolished or abandoned. Despite the savings these cuts created, it was apparent that, if the Railroad was to become solvent again, a more permanent solution was needed.



Four Trains on The New York Central Main Line,
in Little Falls, New York. Promotional picture taken in 1890.
(Wikimedia)


One problem that many of the North-Eastern Railroads faced was the fact that the Railroad Market was saturated for the dwindling Rail Traffic that remained. The NYC had to compete with its two biggest rivals: The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), and The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B and O), in addition to more moderate-size Railroads, such as The Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad (DLW), The Erie Railroad, The Reading Company, The Central Railroad of New Jersey, and The Lehigh Valley Railroad.

Mergers of these Railroads seemed a promising way for these Companies to streamline operations and reduce the competition. The DLW and Erie Railroads had showed some success when they began merging their operations in 1956, finally leading to the formation of The Erie Lackawanna Railroad in 1960. Other mergers combined The Virginian RailwayWabash RailroadNickel Plate Road and several others into The Norfolk and Western Railway (N and W) System, and The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B and O), Western Maryland Railroad (WM), and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C and O) combined with others to form The Chessie System. Heavy streamlining and reduction in Passenger Services led to the success of many of these mergers.



Postal Cover, carried in the Railway Post Office on the first Streamlined run of
"The 20th Century Limited" Train (New York Central System), 15 June 1938.
Source: The Cooper Collection of Railroad Postal History.
Author: U.S. Government.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Following this trend, The NYC began to look for a potential Railroad to merge with, as early as the mid-1950s, and had originally sought out mergers with the B and O, and the NYC-controlled Nickel Plate Road. Unlike the aforementioned mergers, however, a NYC merger proved tricky, due to the fact that the Railroad still operated a fairly extensive amount of Regional and Commuter Passenger Services that were under mandates by The Interstate Commerce Commission to maintain.It soon became apparent that the only other Railroad with enough capital to allow for a potentially successful merger proved to be The NYC's chief rival, The Pennsylvania Railroad (The PRR), itself a Railroad that still had a large Passenger trade. Merger talks between the two Railroads were discussed as early as 1955; however, this was delayed due to a number of factors: Among them, interference by The Interstate Commerce Commission; objections from Operating Unions; concerns from competing Railroads; and the inability of the two Companies, themselves, to formulate a merger plan, thus delaying progress for over a decade.

Two major points of contention centered around which Railroad should have the majority controlling interest going into the merger. Perlman's cost-cutting, during the '50s and '60s, put The NYC in a more financially healthy situation than The PRR. Nevertheless, The ICC, with urging by PRR President Stuart Saunders, wanted The PRR to absorb The NYC. Another point centered around The ICC's wanting to force the bankrupt New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, better known as The New Haven, into the new System, which it did in 1969, something to which both Companies objected. Eventually, both points would ultimately lead to the new Penn Central's demise.



Part of "The 20th Century Limited's" carpet, next to that Train's Observation Car
"Hickory Creek", at Track 35, Grand Central Terminal, New York,
across the Platform from the Train's original departure site at Track 34.
Photo: 12 May 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Rickyrab.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In December, 1967, The New York Central published its last public timetable. The final timetable revealed a drastically-truncated Passenger Schedule in anticipation of its merger with The PRR. Most De-Luxe, Long-Distance, Passenger Trains ended on 3 December 1967, including the famed 20th Century Limited. Only those Trains which were to be continued after the merger with The PRR were retained, along with the Railroad's Commuter Trains.

PART SIX FOLLOWS

Monday 18 January 2016

The Fourth Annual Nellie Gray Mass, On Friday, 22 January 2016. 1600 hrs. After The 2016 March For Life.


Illustration: NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT


The Paulus Institute for The Propagation of Sacred Liturgy, Washington, DC,
has announced that The Fourth Annual
Nellie Gray Mass will take place after
The 43rd March for Life,
Friday, January 22, 2016.

The Mass will be Celebrated at 4 pm in The Extraordinary Form (Traditional Latin Mass) at St. Mary Mother of God Church at
5th and H Sts. NW in downtown Washington DC, where Nellie attended Mass.

A Pontifical Solemn High Mass will be Celebrated at The Faldstool by The Most Reverend Edward J. Slattery, Bishop of Tulsa.
(His Excellency was the Celebrant of The Mass in The Extraordinary Form,
arranged by The Paulus Institute,
at The High Altar of the Basilica of The National Shrine
of The Immaculate Conception, in Washington, in 2010.) 

Assisting Ministers will include Rev. Fr. James Bradley,
of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Master of Ceremonies, and Rev. Fr. Gregory Pendergraft, F.S.S.P., Director of Development for the
North American District of The Fraternity, Deacon.

The Mass will be The Missa Intret for Two or More Martyrs on The Feast Day of Saint Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon and Martyr, and St. Anastasius of Persia, Martyr.

The Vox in Rama Choir, from The Church of The Holy Innocents, in New York City, (Director Kirsten d'Aquino) and members of
St Mary's Schola (Director David Sullivan) will sing
The Missa Secunda, by Hans Leo Hassler (1562-1612),
Ave Maria, by Victoria (1548-1611),
Ave Maria (Angelus Domini), by Franz Biebl (1906-2001)
and O Sacrum Convivium, by Luigi Molfino (1916-2012)
as well as The Gregorian Propers.

Further information is available HERE.

Night Train.



Night Train.
Found on pixdaus.com
Copyright © John West.
Illustration: PINTEREST

The New York Central Railroad. Part Four.



NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining
designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul
The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.
Photo courtesy SMU.
Date: 1938.
Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from FlickrHudson Locomotive for The New York Central.
Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).
(Wikimedia Commons)



English: Grand Central Station Terminal,
42nd Street, New York,
United States of America.
Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare
Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).
Date: 1/08.
Source: Own work.
Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).
(Wikimedia Commons)


The New York Central Railroad, like many U.S. Railroads, declined after The Second World War. Problems re-surfaced that had plagued The Railroad Industry before the War, such as over-regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), which severely regulated the rates charged by the Railroad, along with continuing competition from automobiles. These problems were coupled with even more formidable forms of competition, such as airline service in the 1950s, that began to deprive the NYC of its long-distance Passenger Trade.



"The 20th Century Limited" of The Boston and Albany Railroad, prior to 1920, from [1]
This Train was a famous New York Central Railroad Train which ran from 1902-1967.
This image is available from The United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs Division, under the digital ID det.4a33145.
This File: 20 October 2011.
User: Centpacrr.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Interstate Highway Act of 1956 helped create a network of efficient roads for motor vehicle travel through the Country, enticing more people to travel by car, as well as haul freight by truck. The 1959 opening of The Saint Lawrence Seaway adversely affected NYC freight business. Container shipments could now be directly shipped to ports along The Great Lakes, eliminating the Railroads' Freight hauls between the East and The Midwest.

The NYC also carried a substantial tax burden from governments that saw Rail Infrastructure as a source of property tax revenues: taxes that were not imposed upon Interstate Highways. To make matters worse, most Railroads, including the NYC, were saddled with a World War II–era tax of 15% on Passenger Fares, which remained until 1962, seventeen years after the end of the War.

In June 1954, management of The New York Central System lost a proxy fight to Robert Ralph Young and The Alleghany Corporation, that he led.



1912 advertisement for The New York Central's, New York - Chicago Express Train,
"The 20th Century Limited", as "The Most Famous Train In The World".
Date: 1912. Scanned 1 June 2013 (according to Exif data).
Source: Advertisement.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Alleghany Corporation was a Real Estate and Railroad empire built by the Van Sweringen brothers of Cleveland, in the 1920s, that had controlled The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and The Nickel Plate Road. It fell under the control of Young and financier Allan Price Kirby during The Great Depression.

R. R. Young was considered a Railroad visionary, but found The New York Central in worse shape than he had imagined. Unable to keep his promises, Young was forced to suspend dividend payments in January, 1958. He committed suicide later that month.

After his suicide, Young's role in NYC management was assumed by Alfred E. Perlman, who had been working with the NYC, under Young, since 1954. Despite the dismal financial condition of the Railroad, Perlman was able to streamline operations and save the Company money. Starting in 1959, Perlman was able to reduce operating deficits by $7.7 million, which nominally raised NYC Stock to $1.29 per share, producing dividends of an amount not seen since the end of the War. By 1964, he was able to reduce the NYC Long Term debt by nearly $100 million, while reducing Passenger deficits from $42 million to $24.6 million.



North Yard, in Denver, Colorado.
A typical U.S. Railroad Classification Yard.
.Photo: 6 October 2009.
Source: originally posted to Flickr as trains
Author: Bradley Gordon
(Wikimedia Commons)


A Classification Yard (American and Canadian English) or Marshalling Yard (BritishHong KongIndian and Canadian English) is a Railway Yard found at some Freight Train Stations, used to separate Railway Cars on to one of several Tracks. First the Cars are taken to a Track, sometimes called a Lead or a Drill. From there, the Cars are sent through a series of Switches, called a Ladder, onto the Classification Tracks. Larger Yards tend to put the Lead on an artificially-built hill, called a Hump, to use the force of gravity to propel the Cars through the Ladder.

Perlman also enacted several modernisation projects throughout the Railroad. Notable was the use of Centralised Traffic Control systems on many of the NYC Lines, which reduced the Four-Track Mainline to Two Tracks. He oversaw construction and/or modernisation of many Hump, or, Classification Yards, notably the $20-million Selkirk Yard which opened outside of Albany in 1966. Perlman also experimented with Jet Trains, creating a Budd RDC car (the M-497 Black Beetle) powered by two J47 Jet Engines, stripped from a B-36 Peacemaker Bomber, as a solution to increasing car and airplane competition. The project did not leave the Prototype Stage.


PART FIVE FOLLOWS
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...